Abstract
Purpose: This study aimed to understand the actual needs of empty-nest differently abled elderly people and analyze their long-term care status including the factors affecting choice of care mode so adequate resources can be allocated to meet their healthcare needs. Methods: An empty-nest group was compared with a non-empty-nest group based on data from the 2014 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Individual characteristics, family characteristics, and sociological factors were considered as independent variables, and long-term care model was the dependent variable in the three binary logistic regression method. Results: Age, gender, marriage, and disability were the most important factors influencing the choice of long-term care mode, including the willingness of the differently abled elderly. Family care can no longer meet the needs of the severely disabled elderly. Long-term care for such elderly people should be undertaken by professional and specialized social institutions. Conclusion: Multi-level services should be provided according to the elderly peoples’ needs, and the skill and expertise of professional personnel of care institutions should be strengthened. The government should deploy fund-raising initiatives, actively use the power of non-governmental organizations, and strive to resolve the financial issues faced by the empty-nested elderly people with disability.
Highlights
We are witnessing unprecedented changes in global aging
Conditions are the main factors affecting the choice of long-term care (LTC) model for empty-nest elderly people with disability (PWD)
Due to changes in the family planning policy in China, the number of only-child families has increased, and empty-nest elderly have become more common in society
Summary
We are witnessing unprecedented changes in global aging. This has led to a series of problems raising a worldwide concern related to the healthcare of the aging population. Since China entered an aging society at the end of the 20th century, the number and proportion of the elderly have grown rapidly; old-age care problems have become the focus of society. An empty-nest refers to families where grown-up children move out of their homes for study, work, marriage or other reasons, leaving the elderly by themselves. The concept of family has changed; the nuclear family structure and the trend of one-child families have brought about a substantial increase in empty nests. According to data released by the State Council, the number of empty nesters was expected to increase to about 118 million by 2020 [1]
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